Matthew Giger, 23, was arrested on Sunday for an outstanding DUI warrant from a September 1st crash, after he had a brand new crash yesterday, and fled the scene, pretending he was never in an accident.

On Sunday afternoon, MNPD responded to the scene of a hit and run vehicle accident involving several property owners in the area of 44 Vaughns Gap Road. Witnesses say that Giger was driving the vehicle that ran off the road, over a mailbox, over a boulder, through shrubbery, and eventually came to a stop in a tree. Two female witnesses stopped to render aid to Giger when his vehicle crashed into the tree. They assisted him out of the driver’s seat, and once they got him out of the vehicle, he fled the scene on foot, running away from them and the car.

An officer on Percy Warner Blvd spotted Giger casually walking down the road after hearing the description of the suspect that fled the scene of the accident. Giger denied being in any accident, or recently driving a vehicle, however the two female witnesses that helped pull him from the vehicle positively identified him as the man who ran away as soon as they helped him.

Matthew Giger (MNPD)

Once positively identified, officers realized that Giger had an outstanding warrant for a DUI related crash that happened just two weeks prior, when he crashed an orange Subaru on Harding Road, where according to witnesses he went from the left lane, took an immediate 45 degree turn, and crashed onto the train tracks.

During that first wreck, witnesses report that Giger was unconscious and drooling upon their arrival to assist, but after about two minutes, he woke up, got out of the crashed car, and began to run down the train tracks. He then stopped, came back to the vehicle, ran to the passenger side, and removed a can of Office Depot air duster, which were found at the scene, and then got into the driver’s side of the vehicle, cut out the deployed airbags, and attempted to drive away from the scene. He was prevented from doing so, and officers also found 4 cans of ‘spiked seltzer’ still in the vehicle once it was searched. Giger was transported to St. Thomas West during this crash.

After yesterday’s second crash, Giger was transported to Metro General and cleared before being booked. He was charged with the initial DUI warrant, in addition to new charges for leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to give information/aid, and failure to file a report. He is currently free on pre-trial release.